Reiner April 2013 : Page 60

TRAINER TALK PATTI BROWNSHADEL PH 713-516-2646 BQHREINERS@YAHOO.COM Spin Doctor BY WENDY LIND RHA PROFESSIONAL PATTI BROWN -shadel has executed her fair share of plus-one spins during her career in the show pen. In fact, the Hempstead, Texas, trainer has es-tablished an underground reputation as the go-to source for both pros and non pros. It’s no wonder; spend any time discussing Reining with the petite horsewoman and it’s obvious she’s passionate about the sport. And when it comes to turnarounds, Brownshadel knows exactly what she’s af-ter and just how to get there. N Developing the Spin “The ideal spin has a clean, defined start,” said Brownshadel, “And the horse should be in frame and reaching down and to the inside of the spin as its front legs cross over in a cadenced step, with increasing speed that ends with a sharp square finish.” That objective identified, Brownshadel allows extra time on her prospects to first develop the correct mechanics of the spin, so she doesn’t run into problems when it’s time to step up speed. Her first goal is simply teaching her 2-year-old prospects to maintain forward motion while learning to crossover laterally with their front feet. In this initial stage, Brownshadel puts the horse in an overly-bent position with inside direct rein and a little bit of outside neck rein for balance. With continued forward momentum, she is then able to guide the colt into a few cross-over steps. “The 2-year-olds will gain more control over their forward motion as they devel-op, so gradually they learn to step over with less and less bend to the inside,” she explained. Brownshadel uses a variety of exercises to break loose any tight body parts that would interfere with a free-flow-ing and cadenced spin. “I spend a lot of time walking into and out of the turn to teach the colts how to maintain constant motion in their step. So I’ll start by walking them into a spin from a small circle, turn a few times, then walk 60 NRHA REINER APRIL 2013 them out of the spin and back into a small circle. I make sure I’m always sending shoulders in and the hip out when I move them forward out of the turn. So use your inside leg further back towards the inside hip, and use the outside leg to move the shoulders in as you leave the turn and re-turn to the small circle.” Brownshadel pointed out that teaching a horse to move its hip to the outside upon leaving the spin is an important part of the equation. “If the hip is too deep inside, the horse will turn on his outside pivot foot. That also inhibits speed and the shoulders from following through, which is how they get bound up and start turning with the dread-ed ‘hop,’” she explained. point-earning spin. To establish that ca-denced step, Brownshadel said a horse must first step over and back with its in-side leg in order to allow the outside leg to then cross over and reach past the in-side front leg. “You want those back feet marching as the horse sets, lifts, and resets its inside hind pivot foot, while the outside back foot steps down, pushes around, then resets, which puts more drive into the spin and helps add speed,” she said. Common Problems “The problems I see most are horses los-ing cadence, turning on the outside piv-ot foot, or loss of the pivot foot to the point that the horse is pivoting around its mid-section and swinging its hips,” Brown-shadel observed. “All of those problems go back to a loss of forward momentum and poor overall body frame.” The two main causes of those problems, Brownshadel explained, are either the rid-er’s unbalanced body and leg position, or too much hand pressure and not enough leg pressure. “Just like with the execution of the slid-ing stop, a rider’s position is important in the spin,” she noted. “If we take our in-side leg off and forward, the horse will shift its weight back, which will cause him to turn with his legs out in front instead of back and underneath them. If instead the rider takes his inside leg off and back and sits in the middle of his horse, the horse will be able to reach over and back with his inside leg to make room for the outside front to cleanly cross over. The goal is to use your reins for direction and legs for impulsion. “If I could give just one piece of advice, it would be to look at the spin as a for-ward-positioned left/right maneuver, just like small circles. You want their back up and shoulders square,” she noted. “The more you push the horse forward into the bridle, instead of pulling it back to you, the more they will lock into the spin and execute it on a slack or soft rein.” ✦ Starting the Spin As a prospect’s ability to spin develops, Brownshadel begins refining the small de-tails that will ultimately mean the difference between a big score and a big penalty. That includes starting and stopping the spin in a very methodical fashion. She initiates the spin in a three-step approach to give her mounts a “heads-up” to what’s coming. “I teach ‘on your mark,’ ‘get set,’ and ‘go.’ To do that, I take my inside leg off and back, I then lay the outside rein on their neck, and finally add outside leg as need-ed,” she said. “To stop the spin with a sharp square finish, I say ‘whoa,’ put my rein hand knuckles to the mane, and close the inside leg—all at once.” Cadence Fluid cadence and speed are critical to a www.nrha.com

Trainer Talk

Wendy Lind

Patti Brownshadel talks about spins.

Spin Doctor

PATTI BROWNSHADEL PH 713-516-2646 BQHREINERS@YAHOO.COM

NRHA PROFESSIONAL PATTI BROWN-shadel has executed her fair share of plus-one spins during her career in the show pen. In fact, the Hempstead, Texas, trainer has established an underground reputation as the go-to source for both pros and non pros. It's no wonder; spend any time discussing Reining with the petite horsewoman and it's obvious she's passionate about the sport. And when it comes to turnarounds, Brownshadel knows exactly what she's after and just how to get there.

Developing the Spin

"The ideal spin has a clean, defined start," said Brownshadel, "And the horse should be in frame and reaching down and to the inside of the spin as its front legs cross over in a cadenced step, with increasing speed that ends with a sharp square finish."

That objective identified, Brownshadel allows extra time on her prospects to first develop the correct mechanics of the spin, so she doesn't run into problems when it's time to step up speed. Her first goal is simply teaching her 2-year-old prospects to maintain forward motion while learning to crossover laterally with their front feet. In this initial stage, Brownshadel puts the horse in an overly-bent position with inside direct rein and a little bit of outside neck rein for balance. With continued forward momentum, she is then able to guide the colt into a few cross-over steps.

"The 2-year-olds will gain more control over their forward motion as they develop, so gradually they learn to step over with less and less bend to the inside," she explained. Brownshadel uses a variety of exercises to break loose any tight body parts that would interfere with a free-flowing and cadenced spin.

"I spend a lot of time walking into and out of the turn to teach the colts how to maintain constant motion in their step. So I'll start by walking them into a spin from a small circle, turn a few times, then walk them out of the spin and back into a small circle. I make sure I'm always sending shoulders in and the hip out when I move them forward out of the turn. So use your inside leg further back towards the inside hip, and use the outside leg to move the shoulders in as you leave the turn and return to the small circle."

Brownshadel pointed out that teaching a horse to move its hip to the outside upon leaving the spin is an important part of the equation.

"If the hip is too deep inside, the horse will turn on his outside pivot foot. That also inhibits speed and the shoulders from following through, which is how they get bound up and start turning with the dreaded 'hop,'" she explained.

Starting the Spin

As a prospect's ability to spin develops, Brownshadel begins refining the small details that will ultimately mean the difference between a big score and a big penalty. That includes starting and stopping the spin in a very methodical fashion. She initiates the spin in a three-step approach to give her mounts a "heads-up" to what's coming.

"I teach 'on your mark,' 'get set,' and 'go.' To do that, I take my inside leg off and back, I then lay the outside rein on their neck, and finally add outside leg as needed," she said. "To stop the spin with a sharp square finish, I say 'whoa,' put my rein hand knuckles to the mane, and close the inside leg – all at once."

Cadence

Fluid cadence and speed are critical to a point-earning spin. To establish that cadenced step, Brownshadel said a horse must first step over and back with its inside leg in order to allow the outside leg to then cross over and reach past the inside front leg. "You want those back feet marching as the horse sets, lifts, and resets its inside hind pivot foot, while the outside back foot steps down, pushes around, then resets, which puts more drive into the spin and helps add speed," she said.

Common Problems

"The problems I see most are horses losing cadence, turning on the outside pivot foot, or loss of the pivot foot to the point that the horse is pivoting around its midsection and swinging its hips," Brownshadel observed. "All of those problems go back to a loss of forward momentum and poor overall body frame."

The two main causes of those problems, Brownshadel explained, are either the rider's unbalanced body and leg position, or too much hand pressure and not enough leg pressure.

"Just like with the execution of the sliding stop, a rider's position is important in the spin," she noted. "If we take our inside leg off and forward, the horse will shift its weight back, which will cause him to turn with his legs out in front instead of back and underneath them. If instead the rider takes his inside leg off and back and sits in the middle of his horse, the horse will be able to reach over and back with his inside leg to make room for the outside front to cleanly cross over. The goal is to use your reins for direction and legs for impulsion.

"If I could give just one piece of advice, it would be to look at the spin as a forward- positioned left/right maneuver, just like small circles. You want their back up and shoulders square," she noted. "The more you push the horse forward into the bridle, instead of pulling it back to you, the more they will lock into the spin and execute it on a slack or soft rein."